Is Pair Programming Right for Your Team?

Teams committed to making pair programming work sometimes pair for 8 hours a day. Yet, in our experience, that could be more sustainable.

Pair programming can reveal gaps in your knowledge or assumptions you didn’t know you had. It’s important to admit when you don’t know something and to show your partner how to look it up. If you need help, accept it and show them how you plan to get unblocked. Additionally, it’s important to admit when you’re tired.

There is no consensus on the ideal frequency of rotations, but it is generally recommended that they occur every 2–3 days. The person who remains throughout is known as the “anchor.” This helps to ensure that knowledge is spread and the quality of work remains high.

There are costs associated with every rotation.

It takes time to onboard a new person, and one of the two partners must pay a price for the context switch. Without a constant anchor, the risk of losing tacit knowledge about the problem and solution space increases, leading to rework.

In reality, knowledge is not confined to specific tasks on a board but is required to deploy functionality.

Pairing is all about collaboration and shared ownership. If you’re under too much pressure to…